Barns & Equipment

The last thing a dairyman wants is a barn full of birds that steal expensive feed, damage facilities and spread disease.

More and more, we’re beginning to understand and appreciate the importance of cow cooling. It’s easy to see the effects of heat stress in your lactating herd; there will be a milkfat depression, milk yield will drop, cows will stand more often and for longer periods of time, and subsequently, lameness rates will increase.

The health and productivity of any tracked machine starts with its undercarriage. Representing a significant portion of a piece of equipment’s purchase price, the undercarriage also represents a high percentage of a machine’s lifetime operating costs, so proper maintenance and operation practices are critical for protecting your equipment investment.

Should I fix that aging tractor or piece of equipment or trade it (or scrap it) and purchase a new one? That has always been a daunting question and, in times of tight- to no-profit margins, that question takes on all kinds of new layers.

Controlling energy costs on the farm is one way to reduce input costs. But turning off lights when a space isn’t being used just isn’t enough to make a big change in that monthly power bill.

Not long ago, Kent Hoffman’s morning routine included milking 580 cows in a step-up parlor. Today, he watches an automated arm attach the units on his 40-stall robotic rotary.